This combination is deadly against right-handed hitters, who are batting just. He’s able-bodied and can hit homers, both of which should come in handy for the Giants, particularly while Pence is sidelined with an oblique injury. 448 slugging percentage is better than every Giants’ outfielder, sans Hunter Pence.
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San Francisco (65-56) trails the Chicago Cubs by four games for the second National League wild-card spot.
The acquisition of Byrd is expected to give manager Bruce Bochy an outfield of Aoki in left, Gregor Blanco in center and Byrd in right, for the time being. Joe Panik is due back by early September. “With us banged up, it is truthful to say we’d like some assist and expertise, and he will provide that for us”. Whether Byrd nets the Giants another World Series is a totally different question, but in the short-term, they’ve filled a weakness in their lineup and helped their playoff push. The Giant’s need for some extra pop became clear after a two-game pinch hit appearance from none other than Madison Bumgarner against the Cardinals. He did not rank as one of the Giants’ top thirty prospects at the time of the trade. It was Peavy’s first start in Pittsburgh since 2008.
Aside from Peavy, Matt Cain and Chris Heston have also been points of concern recently.
Charlie Morton (8-4, 4.06 ERA) outpitched Peavy by giving up four hits over 6 2/3 innings.
Ryan Vogelsong has been good since returning to the rotation this month, posting a 2.40 ERA in three outings. Born February 21, 1991, he has plenty of gas in the arm with a low-to-mid-90s fastball (clocked as high as 100 a couple of years ago), mixing the heat with a power breaking ball.
“They aren’t overly confident in their starting rotation”, Fox Sports 1 Major League Baseball analyst C.J. Nitkowski said on the network Thursday.
Mike Leake will see familiar face in the clubhouse Friday. Right now these guys are not helping.
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It’s Tony Perez Weekend at GABP, and there will be plenty of Big Red Machine alums at the stadium, so get your butts out there if you’re in town.
